Combinational therapy of CAR T-cell and HDT/ASCT demonstrates impressive clinical efficacy and improved CAR T-cell behavior in relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Approximately two-thirds of patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (R/R LBCL) do not respond to or relapse after anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T)-cell therapy, leading to poor outcomes. Previous studies have suggested that intensified lymphodepletion and hematological stem cell infusion can promote adoptively transferred T-cell expansion, enhancing antitumor effects. Therefore, we conducted a phase I/II clinical trial in which CNCT19 (an anti-CD19 CAR T-cell) was administered after myeloablative high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) in patients with R/R LBCL. METHODS: Transplant-eligible patients with LBCL who were refractory to first-line immunochemotherapy or experiencing R/R status after salvage chemotherapy were enrolled. The study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this combinational therapy. Additionally, frozen peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from this trial and CNCT19 monotherapy studies for R/R LBCL were used to evaluate the impact of the combination therapy on the in vivo behavior of CNCT19 cells. RESULTS: A total of 25 patients with R/R LBCL were enrolled in this study. The overall response and complete response rates were 92.0% and 72.0%, respectively. The 2-year progression-free survival rate was 62.3%, and the overall survival was 68.5% after a median follow-up of 27.0 months. No unexpected toxicities were observed. All cases of cytokine release syndrome were of low grade. Two cases (8%) experienced grade 3 or higher CAR T-cell-related encephalopathy syndrome. The comparison of CNCT19 in vivo behavior showed that patients in the combinational therapy group exhibited enhanced in vivo expansion of CNCT19 cells and reduced long-term exhaustion formation, as opposed to those receiving CNCT19 monotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The combinational therapy of HDT/ASCT and CNCT19 demonstrates impressive efficacy, improved CNCT19 behavior, and a favorable safety profile. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: ChiCTR1900025419 and NCT04690192.

Melatonin inhibits tongue squamous cell carcinoma: Interplay of ER stress-induced apoptosis and autophagy with cell migration.

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) occupies a high proportion of oral squamous cell carcinoma. TSCC features high lymph node metastasis rates and chemotherapy resistance with a poor prognosis. Therefore, an effective therapy strategy is needed to improve patient prognosis. Melatonin (MT) is a natural indole compound shown to have anti-tumor effects in several cancers. This study focused on the role and mechanism of MT in TSCC cells. The results of the study suggest that MT could inhibit cell proliferation in CRL-1623 cells. Western blot analysis showed the down-regulate of cyclin B1 and the up-regulate P21 protein by MT. MT was also shown to down-regulate the expression of Zeb1, Wnt5A/B, and ß-catenin protein and up-regulate E-cadherin to inhibit the migration of CRL-1623 cells. MT also promoted the expression of ATF4, ATF6, Bip, BAP31 and CHOP in CRL-1623 cells leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress, and induced autophagy and apoptosis in CRL-1623 cells. Western blots showed that MT could promote the expression of Bax, LC3, and Beclin1 proteins and inhibit the expression of p62. We screened differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in MT-treated cells and found that the expression of MALAT1 and H19 decreased. Moreover, MT inhibited tumor growth in nude mice inoculated with CRL-1623 cells. These results suggest that MT could induce autophagy, promote apoptosis, and provide a potential natural compound for the treatment of TSCC.

[Effect of Intelligent Health Education Based on Health Belief Model on Patients With Kinesophobia After Surgical Treatment of Cervical Spondylosis]. / åŸºäºŽå¥åº·ä¿¡å¿µæ¨¡å¼çš„æ™ºèƒ½å¥åº·æ•™è‚²åœ¨é¢ˆæ¤Žç— æœ¯åŽæåŠ¨ç—‡æ‚£è€ ä¸­çš„æ•ˆæžœç ”ç©¶.

Objective: To explore the application effect of intelligent health education based on the health belief model on patients with postoperative kinesophobia after surgical treatment of cervical spondylosis. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted with patients who underwent anterior cervical discectomy, decompression, and fusion surgery with a single central nerve and spine center, and who had postoperative kinesophobia, ie, fear of movement. The patients made voluntary decisions concerning whether they would receive the intervention of intelligent health education. The patients were divided into a control group and an intelligent education group and the intervention started on the second day after the surgery. The intelligent education group received intelligent education starting from the second day after surgery through a WeChat widget that used the health belief model as the theoretical framework. The intelligent health education program was designed according to the concept of patient problems, needs, guidance, practice, and feedbacks. It incorporated four modules, including knowledge, intelligent exercise, overcoming obstacles, and sharing and interaction. It had such functions as reminders, fun exercise, shadowing exercise, monitoring, and documentation. Health education for the control group also started on the second day after surgery and was conducted by a method of brochures of pictures and text and WeChat group reminder messages. The participants were surveyed before discharge and 3 months after their surgery. The primary outcome measure compared between the two groups was the degree of kinesophobia. Secondary outcome measures included differences in adherence to functional exercise (Functional Exercise Adherence Scale), pain level (Visual Analogue Scale score), degree of cervical functional impairment (Cervical Disability Index), and quality of life (primarily assessed by the Quality of Life Short Form 12 [SF-12] scale for psychological and physiological health scores). Results: A total of 112 patients were enrolled and 108 patients completed follow-up. Eventually, there were 53 cases in the intelligent education group and 55 cases in the control group. None of the patients experienced any sports-related injuries. There was no statistically significant difference in the primary and secondary outcome measures between the two groups at the time of discharge. At the 3-month follow-up after the surgery, the level of kinesophobia in the intelligent education group (25.72±3.90) was lower than that in the control group (29.67±6.16), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). In the intelligent education group, the degree of pain (expressed in the median [25th percentile, 75th percentile]) was lower than that of the control group (0 [0, 0] vs. 1 [1, 2], P<0.05), the functional exercise adherence was better than that of the control group (63.87±7.26 vs. 57.73±8.07, P<0.05), the psychological health was better than that of the control group (40.78±3.98 vs. 47.78±1.84, P<0.05), and the physical health was better than that of the control group (43.16±4.41 vs. 46.30±3.80, P<0.05), with all the differences being statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference in the degree of cervical functional impairment between the two groups (1 [1, 2] vs. 3 [2, 7], P>0.05). Conclusion: Intelligent health education based on the health belief model can help reduce the degree of kinesophobia in patients with postoperative kinesophobia after surgical treatment of cervical spondylosis and improve patient prognosis.

Association of AST/ALT ratio with 90-day outcomes in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic liver disease: a prospective multicenter cohort study in China.

Background and aim: A high aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio is associated with liver injury in liver disease; however, no data exist regarding its relationship with 90-day prognosis in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic liver disease. Methods: In this study, 3,758 participants (955 with advanced fibrosis and 2,803 with cirrhosis) from the CATCH-LIFE cohort in China were included. The relationships between different AST/ALT ratios and the risk of adverse 90-day outcomes (death or liver transplantation) were determined in patients with cirrhosis or hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated advanced fibrosis, respectively. Results: In the patients with HBV-associated advanced fibrosis, the risk of 90-day adverse outcomes increased with AST/ALT ratio; after adjusting for all confounding factors, the risk of adverse 90-day outcomes was the highest when AST/ALT ratio was more than 1.08 (OR = 6.91 [95% CI = 1.789-26.721], p = 0.005), and the AST/ALT ratio of >1.9 accelerated the development of adverse outcomes. In patients with cirrhosis, an AST/ALT ratio > 1.38 increased the risk of adverse 90-day outcomes in all univariables (OR = 1.551 [95% CI = 1.216-1.983], p < 0.001) and multivariable-adjusted analyses (OR = 1.847 [95% CI = 1.361-2.514], p < 0.001), and an elevated AST/ALT ratio (<2.65) accelerated the incidence of 90-day adverse outcomes. An AST/ALT ratio of >1.38 corresponded with a more than 20% incidence of adverse outcomes in patients with cirrhosis. Conclusion: The AST/ALT ratio is an independent risk factor for adverse 90-day outcomes in patients with cirrhosis and HBV-associated advanced fibrosis. The cutoff values of the AST/ALT ratio could help clinicians monitor the condition of patients when making clinical decisions.

Single-Atom Titanium on Mesoporous Nitrogen, Oxygen-Doped Carbon for Efficient Photo-thermal Catalytic CO2 Cycloaddition by a Radical Mechanism.

Developing efficient and earth-abundant catalysts for CO2 fixation to high value-added chemicals is meaningful but challenging. Styrene carbonate has great market value, but the cycloaddition of CO2 to styrene oxide is difficult due to the high steric hindrance and weak electron-withdrawing ability of the phenyl group. To utilize clean energy (such as optical energy) directly and effectively for CO2 value-added process, we introduce earth-abundant Ti single-atom into the mesoporous nitrogen, oxygen-doped carbon nanosheets (Ti-CNO) by a two-step method. The Ti-CNO exhibits excellent photothermal catalytic activities and stability for cycloaddition of CO2 and styrene oxide to styrene carbonate. Under light irradiation and ambient pressure, an optimal Ti-CNO produces styrene carbonate with a yield of 98.3%, much higher than CN (27.1%). In addition, it shows remarkable stability during 10 consecutive cycles. Its enhanced catalytic performance stems from the enhanced photothermal effect and improved Lewis acidic/basic sites exposed by the abundant mesopores. The experiments and theoretical simulations demonstrate the styrene oxide•+ and CO2•- radicals generated at the Lewis acidic (Tiδ+) and basic sites of Ti-CNO under light irradiation, respectively. This work furnishes a strategy for synthesizing advanced single-atom catalysts for photo-thermal synergistic CO2 fixation to high value products via a cycloaddition pathway.

Tailored Fabrication of Full-Color Ultrastable Room-Temperature Phosphorescence Carbon Dots Composites with Unexpected Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence.

The development of single-system materials that exhibit both multi-color room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) with tunable afterglow colors and channels is challenging. In this study, we developed four metal-free carbon dots (CDs) through structural tailoring and achieved panchromatic high-brightness RTP via strong chemical encapsulation in urea. The maximum lifetime and quantum yield reached 2141 ms and 56.55%, respectively. Moreover, CDs-IV@urea, prepared via core-shell interaction engineering, exhibited a dual afterglow of red RTP at 622 nm and green TADF. The degree of conjugation and functional groups of precursors affected the binding interactions of the nitrogen cladding on CDs, which in turn stabilized triplet energy levels and affected the energy gap between S1 and T1 (ΔEST) to induce multi-color RTP. The enhanced wrapping interaction lowered the ΔEST, promoting reverse intersystem crossing, which leads to phosphorescence and TADF. This strong core-shell interaction fully stabilized the triplet state, thus stabilizing the material in water, even in extreme environments such as strong acids and oxidants. These afterglow materials were tested in multi-color, time, and temperature multi-encryption as well as in multi-color in vivo bioimaging. Hence, these materials have promising practical applications in information security as well as biomedical diagnosis and treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Bacterial peptidoglycan acts as a digestive signal mediating host adaptation to diverse food resources in C. elegans.

Food availability and usage is a major adaptive force for the successful survival of animals in nature, yet little is known about the specific signals that activate the host digestive system to allow for the consumption of varied foods. Here, by using a food digestion system in C. elegans, we discover that bacterial peptidoglycan (PGN) is a unique food signal that activates animals to digest inedible food. We identified that a glycosylated protein, Bacterial Colonization Factor-1 (BCF-1), in the gut interacts with bacterial PGN, leading to the inhibition of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) by regulating the release of Neuropeptide-Like Protein (NLP-3). Interestingly, activating UPRmt was found to hinder food digestion, which depends on the innate immune p38 MAPK/PMK-1 pathway. Conversely, inhibiting PMK-1 was able to alleviate digestion defects in bcf-1 mutants. Furthermore, we demonstrate that animals with digestion defects experience reduced natural adaptation capabilities. This study reveals that PGN-BCF-1 interaction acts as "good-food signal" to promote food digestion and animal growth, which facilitates adaptation of the host animals by increasing ability to consume a wide range of foods in their natural environment.

A prediction model for CO2/CO adsorption performance on binary alloys based on machine learning.

Despite the rapid development of computational methods, including density functional theory (DFT), predicting the performance of a catalytic material merely based on its atomic arrangements remains challenging. Although quantum mechanics-based methods can model 'real' materials with dopants, grain boundaries, and interfaces with acceptable accuracy, the high demand for computational resources no longer meets the needs of modern scientific research. On the other hand, Machine Learning (ML) method can accelerate the screening of alloy-based catalytic materials. In this study, an ML model was developed to predict the CO2 and CO adsorption affinity on single-atom doped binary alloys based on the thermochemical properties of component metals. By using a greedy algorithm, the best combination of features was determined, and the ML model was trained and verified based on a data set containing 78 alloys on which the adsorption energy values of CO2 and CO were calculated from DFT. Comparison between predicted and DFT calculated adsorption energy values suggests that the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm has excellent generalization performance, and the R-squared (R2) for CO2 and CO adsorption energy prediction are 0.96 and 0.91, respectively. The errors of predicted adsorption energy are 0.138 eV and 0.075 eV for CO2 and CO, respectively. This model can be expected to advance our understanding of structure-property relationships at the fundamental level and be used in large-scale screening of alloy-based catalysts.

Discovery of novel co-degradation CK1α and CDK7/9 PROTACs with p53 activation for treating acute myeloid leukemia.

Reactivating p53 activity to restore its anticancer function is an attractive cancer treatment strategy. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of novel PROTACs to reactivate p53 via the co-degradation of CK1α and CDK7/9 proteins. Bioactivity studies showed that the selected PROTAC 13i exhibited potency antiproliferative activity in MV4-11 (IC50 = 0.096 ± 0.012 µM) and MOLM-13 (IC50 = 0.072 ± 0.014 µM) cells, and induced apoptosis of MV4-11 cells. Western-blot analysis showed that PROTAC 13i triple CK1α and CDK7/9 protein degradation resulted in the significantly increased expression of p53. At the same time, the transcriptional repression due to the degradation significantly reduced downstream gene expression of MYC, MDM2, BCL-2 and MCL-1, and reduced the inflammatory cytokine levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 in PMBCs. These results indicate the beneficial impact of simultaneous CK1α and CDK7/9 degradation for acute myeloid leukemia therapy.

20-esterification of 5-spiro CPT and their anticancer activity in vitro.

20-ester of 5-spirocycle campthothecin derivatives were successfully constructed and synthesised by Steglich esterification in a moderate yield. These derivatives showed a better solubility. Compared to parent compound, most of these 20-ester-5-spirocycle campthothecin derivatives (besides 3g) showed a better inhibition activity against HepG2 cell line.

SMARCA4 (BRG1) activates ABCC3 transcription to promote hepatocellular carcinogenesis.

AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lead cause of cancer-related deaths. In the present study we investigated the role of Brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1), a chromatin remodeling protein, in HCC the pathogenesis focusing on identifying novel transcription targets. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Hepatocellular carcinogenesis was modeled in mice by diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Cellular transcriptome was evaluated by RNA-seq. RESULTS: Hepatocellular carcinoma was appreciably retarded in BRG1 knockout mice compared to wild type littermates. Transcriptomic analysis identified ATP Binding Cassette Subfamily C Member 3 (ABCC3) as a novel target of BRG1. BRG1 over-expression in BRG1low HCC cells (HEP1) up-regulated whereas BRG1 depletion in BRG1high HCC cells (SNU387) down-regulated ABCC3 expression. Importantly, BRG1 was detected to directly bind to the ABCC3 promoter to activate ABCC3 transcription. BRG1 over-expression in HEP1 cells promoted proliferation and migration, both of which were abrogated by ABCC3 silencing. On the contrary, BRG1 depletion in SNU387 cells decelerated proliferation and migration, both of which were rescued by ABCC3 over-expression. Importantly, high BRG1/ABCC3 expression predicted poor prognosis in HCC patients. Mechanistically, ABCC3 regulated hepatocellular carcinogenesis possibly by influencing lysosomal homeostasis. SIGNIFICANCE: In conclusion, our data suggest that targeting BRG1 and its downstream target ABCC3 can be considered as a reasonable approach for the intervention of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Dynamic monitoring of circulating tumor DNA reveals outcomes and genomic alterations in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma undergoing CAR T-cell therapy.

BACKGROUND: Over 50% of patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (r/r LBCL) receiving CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR19) T-cell therapy fail to achieve durable remission. Early identification of relapse or progression remains a significant challenge. In this study, we prospectively investigate the prognostic value of dynamic circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and track genetic evolution non-invasively, for the first time in an Asian population of r/r patients undergoing CAR19 T-cell therapy. METHODS: Longitudinal plasma samples were prospectively collected both before lymphodepletion and at multiple timepoints after CAR19 T-cell infusion. ctDNA was detected using a capture-based next-generation sequencing which has been validated in untreated LBCL. RESULTS: The study enrolled 23 patients with r/r LBCL and collected a total of 101 ctDNA samples. Higher pretreatment ctDNA levels were associated with inferior progression-free survival (PFS) (p=0.031) and overall survival (OS) (p=0.023). Patients with undetectable ctDNA negative (ctDNA-) at day 14 (D14) achieved an impressive 3-month complete response rate of 77.8% vs 22.2% (p=0.015) in patients with detectable ctDNA positive (ctDNA+), similar results observed for D28. CtDNA- at D28 predicted significantly longer 1-year PFS (90.9% vs 27.3%; p=0.004) and OS (90.9% vs 49.1%; p=0.003) compared with patients who remained ctDNA+. Notably, it is the first time to report that shorter ctDNA fragments (<170 base pairs) were significantly associated with poorer PFS (p=0.031 for D14; p=0.002 for D28) and OS (p=0.013 for D14; p=0.008 for D28) in patients with LBCL receiving CAR T-cell therapy. Multiple mutated genes exhibited an elevated prevalence among patients with progressive disease, including TP53, IGLL5, PIM1, BTG1, CD79B, GNA13, and P2RY8. Notably, we observed a significant correlation between IGLL5 mutation and inferior PFS (p=0.008) and OS (p=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights that dynamic ctDNA monitoring during CAR T-cell therapy can be a promising non-invasive method for early predicting treatment response and survival outcomes. Additionally, the ctDNA mutational profile provides novel insights into the mechanisms of tumor-intrinsic resistance to CAR19 T-cell therapy.

CD155 as an emerging target in tumor immunotherapy.

CD155 is an immunoglobulin-like protein overexpressed in almost all the tumor cells, which not only promotes proliferation, adhesion, invasion, and migration of tumor cells, but also regulates immune responses by interacting with TIGIT, CD226 or CD96 receptors expressed on several immune cells, thereby modulating the functionality of these cellular subsets. As a novel immune checkpoint, the inhibition of CD155/TIGIT, either as a standalone treatment or in conjunction with other immune checkpoint inhibitors, has demonstrated efficacy in managing advanced solid malignancies. In this review, we summarize the intricate relationship between on tumor surface CD155 and its receptors, with further discussion on how they regulate the occurrence of tumor immune escape. In addition, novel therapeutic strategies and clinical trials targeting CD155 and its receptors are summarized, providing a strong rationale and way forward for the development of next-generation immunotherapies.

Murepavadin promotes the killing efficacies of aminoglycoside antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa by enhancing membrane potential.

Murepavadin is a peptidomimetic that specifically targets the lipopolysaccharide transport protein LptD of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, we found that murepavadin enhances the bactericidal efficacies of tobramycin and amikacin. We further demonstrated that murepavadin enhances bacterial respiration activity and subsequent membrane potential, which promotes intracellular uptake of aminoglycoside antibiotics. In addition, the murepavadin-amikacin combination displayed a synergistic bactericidal effect in a murine pneumonia model.

Effects of dietary supplementation of glycerol monolaurate on laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology and immune function in late-phase laying hens.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of glycerol monolaurate (GML) on laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology and immune function in late-phase laying hens. A total of 480 Hy-Line Variety Brown hens (age 54 wk) were randomly assigned to 5 treatments: the control group (basal diet) and 4 GML groups (basal diet supplemented with 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg GML). Each treatment consisted of 8 replicates with 12 hens each and the trial lasted for 8 wk. The results showed that dietary inclusion of GML increased the ADFI in the entire experimental period and the average egg weight in wk 5 to 8 and wk 1 to 8 of the experiment (linear, P < 0.05). Dietary GML addition linearly increased albumen height, Haugh unit and yolk color, and quadratically increased eggshell thickness (P < 0.05). The serum SOD activity, T-AOC and IgG concentrations in the 200 mg/kg GML group, and GSH-Px activity in 200 and 300 mg/kg GML groups were increased, while the MDA concentration in 200 and 300 mg/kg GML groups was decreased than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The jejunal villus height and villus height: crypt depth in 300 mg/kg GML group were higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of TLR4, IL-1ß and TNF-α in spleen and jejunum decreased with the increase of dietary GML concentration (linear, P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary GML supplementation could improve egg quality, antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology and immune function in late-phase laying hens, and dietary 300 mg/kg GML inclusion is suggested.

Anti-UV Microgel Based on Interfacial Polymerization to Decrease Skin Irritation of High Permeability UV Absorber Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate.

Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) is frequently employed as a photoprotective agent in sunscreen formulations. EHMC has been found to potentially contribute to health complications as a result of its propensity to produce irritation and permeate the skin. A microgel carrier, consisting of poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (pEDGMA), was synthesized using interfacial polymerization with the aim of reducing the irritation and penetration of EHMC. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that the EHMC content accounted for 75.72% of the total composition. Additionally, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images depicted the microgel as exhibiting a spherical morphology. In this study, the loading of EHMC was demonstrated through FTIR and contact angle tests. The UV resistance, penetration, and skin irritation of the EHMC-pEDGMA microgel were additionally assessed. The investigation revealed that the novel sunscreen compound, characterized by limited dermal absorption, had no irritant effects and offered sufficient protection against ultraviolet radiation.

Hepatitis B virus and cytomegalovirus coinfection in an older patient: a case report.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection involving the skin is relatively rare. We herein report a case involving a man in his late 70s with positive hepatitis B surface antigen who presented with multiform skin lesions, including a papuloid rash, papular urticaria, and purpura. The patient had taken no antiviral drugs for nearly 13 years but had recently developed severe liver injury. Laboratory examination revealed positive CMV immunoglobulin M, CMV polymerase chain reaction result of 1.09 × 102 copies/mL, and a slightly decreased CD4+ cell count; however, the CD8+ T-cell count was within the normal range. A skin biopsy was performed in the region of the papular eruption on the left inner thigh, and the pathologic findings were consistent with CMV infection. After admission, the patient began a combination of antiviral therapy for hepatitis B virus and CMV. After 3 weeks of treatment, the patient was discharged with skin lesions, and his liver function recovered.

Assessment of land use change of ecological green wedge and cooling island effect: A case study of Wuhan, China.

The construction of urban ecological green wedges, which can mitigate the heat island effect through cooling and ventilation effects, is an important way to enhance the adaptation of cities to climate change. Dynamic monitoring and periodic assessment of both the conservation status and cooling effect of ecological green wedges is a key to ensure the heat mitigation benefits. Based on multi-source remote sensing data, we systematically analyzed the land use changes of six ecological green wedges in Wuhan in 2013 and 2020 using the methods of Markov transfer matrix, land use dynamics, and comprehensive index of land use degree, and evaluated the changes in surface temperature of the ecological green wedges and their cooling island effect. Results showed that the ecological green wedges in Wuhan generally had a large amount of construction land encroaching on ecological land from 2013 to 2020, with the water decreased the most. With the continuous deterioration of ecological green wedges, their land surface temperatures showed rising trends, together with significant weakening trends in cooling island effects. Among all the six wedges, the Dadonghu, Tangxun, and Wuhu exhibited relatively better ecological conservation, slighter land use change and lower overall development degree. Qinglinghu and Houguanhu demonstrated average levels of conservation. Fuhe experienced the most severe change under the significant influence of the westward policy of Wuhan City, with the proportion of water decreasing by 7.1%, warming up by 3.00 ℃, and the largest reduction in cooling distance for the cooling island effect, amounting to about 210 m. The results provided scientific evidence for the urban heat island mitigation-oriented planning and management of ecological green wedges for Wuhan City.

Harnessing Natural Evaporation for Electricity Generation using MOF-Based Nanochannels.

Functionalized nanochannels can convert environmental thermal energy into electrical energy by driving water evaporation. This process involves the interaction between the solid-liquid interface and the natural water evaporation. The evaporation-driven water potential effect is a novel green environmental energy capture technology that has a wide range of applications and does not depend on geographical location or environmental conditions, it can generate power as long as there is water, light, and heat. However, suitable materials and structures are needed to harness this natural process for power generation. MOF materials are an emerging field for water evaporation power generation, but there are still many challenges to overcome. This work uses MOF-801, which has high porosity, charged surface, and hydrophilicity, to enhance the output performance of evaporation-driven power generation. It can produce an open circuit voltage of ≈2.2 V and a short circuit current of ≈1.9 µA. This work has a simple structure, easy preparation, low-cost and readily available materials, and good stability. It can operate stably in natural environments with high practical value.

A major gene for chilling tolerance variation in Indica rice codes for a kinase OsCTK1 that phosphorylates multiple substrates under cold.

Rice is susceptible to chilling stress. Identifying chilling tolerance genes and their mechanisms are key to improve rice performance. Here, we performed a genome-wide association study to identify regulatory genes for chilling tolerance in rice. One major gene for chilling tolerance variation in Indica rice was identified as a casein kinase gene OsCTK1. Its function and natural variation are investigated at the physiological and molecular level by its mutants and transgenic plants. Potential substrates of OsCTK1 were identified by phosphoproteomic analysis, protein-protein interaction assay, in vitro kinase assay, and mutant characterization. OsCTK1 positively regulates rice chilling tolerance. Three of its putative substrates, acidic ribosomal protein OsP3B, cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel OsCNGC9, and dual-specific mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase OsMKP1, are each involved in chilling tolerance. In addition, a natural OsCTK1 chilling-tolerant (CT) variant exhibited a higher kinase activity and conferred greater chilling tolerance compared with a chilling-sensitive (CS) variant. The CT variant is more prevalent in CT accessions and is distributed more frequently in higher latitude compared with the CS variant. This study thus enables a better understanding of chilling tolerance mechanisms and provides gene variants for genetic improvement of chilling tolerance in rice.